PHYSICAL FACILITIES

CONSULTANTS HANDBOOK
Guidelines
Fume Hood Audit and Selection Guide
Last Update: June 12, 2009
A. Lab Pressurization
1. All lab complexes should have a visual differential pressure monitor located close to the main
entry door.
2. If a lab is to be at a negative pressure to the corridor, then maintain -0.01 to -0.05 w.g.
differential pressure by an offset between room supply and room exhaust airflow. Flow
tracking is recommended to maintain a differential flow between the supply and exhaust air
flows.
3. If a laboratory is to be a neutral or positive differential pressure, then an air-lock entryway
must be installed such that the laboratory can be kept positive pressure to the air lock, which
can be kept negative to the hall. In this case the entryway is to have a differential pressuremonitoring device.
4. Each room in which fume hoods are located is to have an occupancy sensor that turns off the
lights and reduces the air volume.

B. Lab Air Flow

1. Laboratory ventilation rates shall be at least 6 air changes per hour minimum for an occupied
lab and at least 4 air changes per hour minimum for an unoccupied lab. Higher ventilation
rates may be required depending on laboratory chemical hazards and fume hood exhaust
requirements.
2. Temperature gradients and air currents in a laboratory must be kept to a minimum.
3. A low air flow zone needs to be established in front of each hood or biological safety cabinet.
This zone can be considered to be as wide and as tall as the hood or cabinet face and
extending six feet horizontally out from the sash. Select and locate diffusers so that air does
not enter the low air flow zone at a velocity greater that 50 fpm when fume hood exhaust fan
is off. Use 2 x 4 perforated supply diffusers. Avoid 2 x 2 diffusers near fume hoods. Provide
no more than 400 cfm through the diffusers near the hoods. Discharge velocities shall not
exceed 200 fpm at diffuser outlets.
4. All lab air flow, including exhaust, will be balanced by the T&B contractor.
5. Return air from a laboratory may be utilized only if the HVAC system services no other nonlaboratory portion of the building. No laboratory HVAC system shall be designed so that
return air from that system can be recirculated to any other HVAC system in the building.

C. Fume Hood Audit & Selection Guide

1. The last page of this section is a Fume Hood Audit & Selection Guide. This sheet is to be
copied as needed so that a separate Selection Guide can be filled out for each fume hood. All
of the sheets are to be included in the Architectural Program Statement.

D. Fume Hood Styles and Considerations:

1. All fume hoods shall be High Performance type, designed to meet the ASHRAE 110 test with
challenges at a minimum face velocity of less than or equal to 60 fpm with the sash in the fully
open (set up) position. Challenge tests should demonstrate excellent containment with cross
drafts of at least 50 fpm and sash movement effects.
Page 1 of 5

PHYSICAL FACILITIES
CONSULTANTS HANDBOOK
Guidelines
Fume Hood Audit and Selection Guide
2. Make up air (auxiliary air) type fume hoods will not be used under any circumstances.
3. By-pass and restricted bypass style fume hoods are allowed but carefully select with respect to
constant or variable volume applications.
a) Constant air volume (CAV) fume hoods shall have bypass grilles/openings of adequate size
to maintain an acceptable face velocity over the entire range of sash movement.
b) With a variable air volume (VAV) application, a restricted bypass should be selected to
reduce the exhaust airflow as sash closes. Verify that the NFPA 45 minimum air flow can be
met without causing loss of containment, such as when the sash is open 1.
4. Perchloric acid hoods and exhaust fans must be specifically designed for that use.
5. Radio-isotope hoods and exhaust fans must be specifically designed for that use.

E. Fume Hood Design

1. Fume hoods will have access ports for cords, tubes, wires, etc. to be run through the side sills
to the interior of the hood.
2. All fume hoods are to have a visual face velocity indicator. Indicator and associated controls
will be installed and calibrated by a representative of the manufacturer with calibration
verification submitted to the superintendent. Training on the calibration, operation, and
maintenance of the hoods and associated controls is to be provided by the manufacturer.
3. Acid and solvent base storage cabinets below the hoods can be vented through the back of
the hood.

F. Fume Hood Operation

1. Working sash height is 18.
2. Working (occupied lab) face velocity is greater or equal to 80 FPM.
3. Idle (un-occupied lab) face velocity is greater or equal to 60 FPM.
4. Fume hoods shall be able to operate safely at the manufacturers recommended minimum
face velocity with the sash fully open.
5. Maximum airflow (CFM) is determined by assuming the greater of two conditions: a) fume
hood sash is open to working height and operating at the working face velocity, or b) fume
hood sash is fully open and operating at the manufacturers recommended minimum face
velocity (less than or equal to 60 fpm for a high performance, low velocity fume hood).
6. Minimum airflow (CFM) is determined by the NFPA 45 standard of 25 CFM per square foot of
hood deck area. Fume hoods shall be able to operate with the hood sash fully closed with this
minimum air flow.
7. Fume hoods are intended to operate continuously with reduction to idle flow rate determined
by either a hood proximity sensor or the general room lighting occupancy sensor, where
appropriate.

G. Fume Hood Testing

1. All fume hood models must provide third party independent ASHRAE 110 (latest edition) As
Manufactured testing. Include flow visualization testing, face velocity measurements, and
Page 2 of 5

PHYSICAL FACILITIES
CONSULTANTS HANDBOOK
Guidelines
Fume Hood Audit and Selection Guide
tracer gas containment testing. Demonstrate fume hood performance challenges with the
sash fully open at the idle flow rate, including sash movement effects and cross draft
conditions of greater or equal to 50 fpm.
2. Fume hoods must require no more exhaust than stated in the manufacturers literature and
used as the basis of design.
3. All fume hoods will be tested and must pass the ASHRAE 110 (latest edition) as installed test at
the following conditions:
a) Determined per project requirements for the most challenging operating configuration

H. Fume Hood Exhaust Systems:

1. In general, VAV fume hood exhaust airflow control dampers / valves are preferred. CAV fume
hoods are acceptable where applicable, such as where total fume hood exhaust requirements
are less than or equal to minimum lab ventilation requirements.
2. Fume hood exhaust dampers /valves are to have an open pressure drop less than 0.3 water
gauge at design flow.
3. In general new exhaust systems are to be a manifold system where feasible. Systems with
few fume hoods can use individual fans for each hood.
4. Exhaust must discharge vertically at least 10 above the roof with no rain cap. Exhaust stack
exit air velocity shall be at least 3,000 fpm.
5. Locate fans on the roof or in a penthouse that is at a negative pressure to the rest of the
building and is well ventilated.
6. Heat reclaim that does not allow for re-entrainment of the exhaust flow will be included for
most lab exhaust systems, where cost effective on a life cycle analysis.
7. Fume hood exhaust ducts should be designed with a velocity of greater than 1,000 fpm and
less than 2,000 fpm. For VAV fume hood systems, an exhaust diversity factor may be used
for the maximum duct velocity. However, assume no diversity factor when sizing exhaust fan
capacity and total static pressure.
8. Fume hood exhaust duct shall be located in fire chases where required, and shall not have fire
dampers.
9. General fume hood exhaust duct material
a) Galvanized Steel coated with an acid resistant coating is to be used from the hood
discharge to the point of significant dilution (i.e. the manifold exhaust system main duct).
b) Galvanized Steel uncoated may be used on manifold exhaust systems where enough
hoods have been accumulated to provide adequate dilution.
c) Stainless Steel is rarely used for general fume exhaust and will require justification. The
exceptions to this are the welded systems as mentioned below.
d) PVC has excellent acid resistance but poor solvent resistance. PVC may be used only
when exhaust system is being specifically designed and marked for acid only use.
e) Glass duct can be installed between a hood and a scrubber if recommended by the
manufacturer. Otherwise use of glass must be justified.
10. Perchloric and Radio-Isotope hood exhausts

Page 3 of 5

PHYSICAL FACILITIES
CONSULTANTS HANDBOOK
Guidelines
Fume Hood Audit and Selection Guide
a) Ducts may not be more than 45 degrees off vertical with no more than four offsets (two to
get into a chase, and two to get out of the chase).
b) Systems are to have a water wash down (see Laboratories Plumbing Guidelines).
c) Perchloric acid hoods must be attached to a dedicated exhaust system using FRP, PVC
or welded stainless steel ductwork.
d) Radio-isotope hoods must be attached to a dedicated exhaust system welded stainless
steel ductwork.
e) Exhaust systems should be reviewed with the University REM department.

Comments:
G.2

Pay close attention during design to using the total fume hood exhaust in sizing the exhaust
fan. Verify that the fume hood manufacturers published data includes fume hood bypass and
sash clearance leakage. The quantity of air leaving the hood can be more than published
data. When that happens, the exhaust system and make-up air systems may inadvertently be
designed for less than actual flow.

Page 4 of 5

PHYSICAL FACILITIES
CONSULTANTS HANDBOOK
Guidelines
Fume Hood Audit and Selection Guide

General Information
Project Name
Hood Location

Date

A&E Firm

Preparers Name

Contact Information for Faculty & Staff Responsible For Hood Operation
Faculty Name

Title

Staff contact

Title

Department

CHPID #

Campus Address
Phone #

E-mail

Hood Use information

Application (describe expected use of hood):

Apparatus (describe anticipated equipment use):

Hood usage (circle):

24/7 Continuous

Occasional intermittent

Utilities (circle):

Vac. Nat. Gas

Storage Cabinet:

Is vented storage required for toxic materials?

Nit. Air

Occupied/unoccupied schedule

RO DI NPCW / HW Cup sink(s) Other:

Chemicals Expected to be Used (Attach additional pages as needed)

Name or Chemical Type

Concentration

Process Temperature Range*

(*example: room temperature, between #o C to #o C, liquid N2 boiling point, etc.)

Hood Type (Check all that apply. Physical Facilities may select based on above info.)
Conventional

Perchloric Acid

Radio-isotope

Acid Resistant

Walk-in

Other

Hood Size:
Sash Type:

4 Foot
Vertical only

5 Foot

6 Foot

8 Foot

Combination (vertical & horizontal)

Page 5 of 5